Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan inaugurated various new facilities at the ICAR-Indian Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology (ICAR-IIAB) in Garhkhatanga, Ranchi. These included the Admin-cum-School Building, Birsa Munda Multipurpose Hall, Jaipal Singh Munda Sports Complex, and NEXTGEN Breeding Facility. He also laid the foundation for a new Guest House facility at ICAR-IIAB, a project worth one hundred and nineteen crore rupees.
In his address, Mr Chouhan highlighted the importance of scientific agriculture, improved seeds, integrated farming, balanced nutrient management, and location-specific agricultural technologies for Jharkhand. He also lauded the institute’s efforts in taking research and technologies to farmers and called for sustained farmer awareness and field-level extension.
Mr Chouhan also highlighted the rich natural and traditional heritage of Jharkhand and described ICAR-IIAB as an important confluence of agricultural research, innovation, and self-reliance. He emphasised that while traditional knowledge remains valuable, contemporary agricultural challenges require farmers to increasingly adopt scientific and technology-driven farming practices suited to local resources and agro-climatic conditions. Mr Chouhan stressed the importance of ensuring the timely availability of improved seeds and the transfer of appropriate agricultural technologies from research institutions to farmers’ fields.
The Union Minister emphasised the importance of integrated farming-including vegetables, cereals, and livestock-and the proper use of balanced fertilizers. He also called for the effective implementation of farmer welfare schemes and to ensure their benefits reach every village.
The ICAR-IIAB organised a Pre-Rabi Kisan Goshti-cum-Agricultural Input Distribution Programme under the Scheduled Caste Sub-Plan (SCSP) and Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP) yesterday. The programme brought together around one thousand five hundred farmers from Ranchi, Khunti, Gumla and Ramgarh districts to facilitate direct interaction between farmers, scientists and policymakers and to promote the adoption of scientific and sustainable agricultural practices.
